Tuesday, July 27, 2010 – San Miguel Park is owned and operated by the Sabine River Authority of Louisiana. It encompasses 108 acres of land with paved roads throughout. The park is located on the northern part of Toledo Bend near Zwolle, Louisiana. And it is THE oldest park out of all the Toledo Bend Lake Country parks.
I didn’t take near as many pictures as I wanted to (and you will understand why once you are finished reading the blog) but I want to at least document the chain of events of our trip.
This isn’t our exact cabin but this is what they looked like. Never been in a triangle shaped anything before so it was interesting. The inside of the cabin was all one room. It had a double bed and two single beds that we pushed together and all slept side by side. There was a kitchen with an oven that looked like it belonged in my grandmother’s house. But we did have running water in the kitchen and a hot shower. There was no TV but we brought the lap tops for the kids to watch movies to keep them entertained. The entire family rented cabins so we were all within walking distance of my aunts, uncles, cousins and parents. We got to visit a little on Friday when we got there but the reunion and the big feast was scheduled at the pavilion for Saturday afternoon. I was worried about how Stone would sleep in the cabin because it’s been a nightmare trying to lay him down anywhere that isn’t his crib. He actually slept pretty well, only waking a couple of times and going right back to sleep without much of a fight at all. He was up pretty early, but I was thankful to get ANY rest that night! Thank you God!
So Saturday morning we all got up and headed to the pavilion to sit around and eat and play all day.
They look so cute don’t they? This is actually a good shot of them considering they were fighting while I took the picture.
So while we were sitting around starting to eat lunch, we noticed the back of Stone’s leg near his heel looked swollen. Looked like something bit him as it was pussy, bloody and seemed to be bothering him. Not knowing what bit him exactly and not wanting to chance he’d be okay, Mike put him in the car and drove 30 minutes away to Many, Louisiana so Stone could see a doctor. They were pretty much gone all afternoon. Mike said the waiting room at the hospital they went to looked like a scene out of an Saturday Night Live skit. I felt bad they missed the better part of the day, but the good news was that it looked like Stone just got bit by a fire ant. Poor thing has my weird, messed up skin in his genes, so anything that gets a hold of him makes him swell like a balloon. They gave him oral steroids, Benadryl and antibiotics which we were SURE would knock him out pretty early come bed time. Mike found a Walgreens and filled the prescription and brought little Stone back so he could enjoy a little time swimming with Hunter and Brooke before it got too late. I don’t have pictures of the kids in the lake but they had a GREAT time! Hunter got some ‘big kid’ time playing with Devin and Cody (my nephews). And Brooke and Stone played in the water and in the mud until their hearts content. We got back to the cabin and cleaned everyone up and settled in with one of the movies playing. Brooke was out as soon as she hit the pillow. But Stone. Well, that child would NOT slow down and was bouncing off the walls like he had caffeine in his system instead of all the medicine. He finally slowed down and as soon as he did, that boy was out. Slept through the night too, let me just brag. I have never been so thankful for anything in a very long time.
I did take SOME pictures as my family was sitting down to eat. I did make promises not to post them on Facebook, but I never promised that I wouldn’t put them here! I’m SURE I don’t have 450 people reading my blog…
Let me just say how great my family is. My cousins and aunts and uncles are such wonderful, caring people and I’m so glad that I get to see them every year, but wish it could be more and for longer. We had such a great time playing cards. I came in third place in a wicked game of spoons. We turned in early Saturday night because of having such small kids, but they all were still going strong playing Texas Hold ‘Em and enjoying the company of all the family there. Everyone leaves at the crack of dawn on Sunday, so I never really get to say good bye to anyone. But most of my cousins have emailed me and asked how Stone is doing and checked on him. It so neat to have grown up with them and now we all have kids. Fifteen years ago when I went to reunions, they were the ones with small kids and I didn’t have a glimmer of even ONE in my future. Now all their kids are grown, in high school and about to start college and THEY get to see MY kids after all these years. And it’s kinda cool to hear my uncles say that Brooke looks just like me when I was that age. I can’t wait for future reunions for my kids to grow up and have family experiences like I had as a kid. All our wonderful trips to Louisiana, staying in Morgan City for what seemed like days at a time. We would also stay with my Uncle Sonny and Aunt Estelle in Brusly sometimes too. They live on a farm and have cows and chickens and I even remember a tire swing on a rope tied to a tree in the backyard. I doubt it’s still there, but I can’t wait to take my kids back there so they can see it too. My only regret is that my grandparents aren’t around to see my children and that my children weren’t around to eat Mawmaw’s cooking. But I know Mawmaw and Pawpaw are up in heaven looking down at my family smiling. And they would be VERY proud of THIS family.
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